Human and economic costs of disasters underestimated by up to 60 percent MARRAKESH, November 14, 2016– The impact of extreme natural disasters is equivalent to a global $520 billion loss in annual consumption,...

In 2013, an estimated one million Filipinos were plunged into poverty after Typhoon Haiyan sapped $12.9 billion from the national economy and destroyed over a million homes. No sooner had the 2010 Cyclone...

Washington, D.C., November 10, 2016—A new report, Climate and Disaster Resilience Financing in Small Island States shows that, in spite of increasing climate risks, only 14 percent of development aid for...

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, and landslides could physically damage water supply and sanitation (WSS) facilities and suspend operations due to emergency events such as inundation...

Every year, the warm waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans give rise to typhoons, hurricanes, and other tropical storms that routinely batter the islands and coasts of the Asia-Pacific and the Caribbean....

President Kim Says Funds Will Further Increase Resilience to Climate Change DHAKA, October 18, 2016—World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, concluding a two-day trip to Bangladesh focused on the country’s...

Dear Director of the Institute of GeoSciences, Energy, Water and Environment, Mr. Hoxhaj, Representatives from Albanian Agencies and Ministries, Guests from South East Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,...

Date: October 18, 2016
Type: Speeches and Transcripts
Language: English

DHAKA, October 15, 2016—World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim arrives in Dhaka tomorrow to see firsthand the progress Bangladesh has made in transitioning successfully to a lower-middle income country,...

It has been 27 years since the United Nations General Assembly felt the urgency to call for an International Day for Disaster Reduction, established with the longterm objective of raising global awareness...

By 2030, without significant investment to improve the resilience of cities around the world, climate change may push up to 77 million urban residents into poverty. Those are the findings of a new report...

More than nearly any country in the world, Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to the steadily growing effects of climate change. The South, Southwest, and Southeast coastal regions are increasingly susceptible...

Good morning. Welcome to the 2016 World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings. I first want to say a few words about Haiti, which was devastated by Hurricane Matthew. Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti, many...

Date: October 6, 2016
Type: Speeches and Transcripts
Language: English

Mexico for the past two decades has been building an effective system to better manage natural disaster risk. Early-on the government recognized that the country’s geographical location generates severe...

How natural disasters are paid for makes a big difference to the total economic cost. Ministries of finance receive countless financial protection proposals from reinsurers and banks, but often lack the...

Countries of the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region are regularly affected by adverse natural events. Over the last 30 years, floods and earthquakes alone caused 50,000 fatalities, affected nearly 25...

Dam safety and resilience is an increasing area of concern worldwide. Some of the notable issues, in developing countries particularly, are pertaining to sustainable operation and management of dams, including...